The Star Crossed Lovers of District Twelve
by WalkingInTheRain
Summary: AU. What would happen if Peeta and Katniss really were star-crossed lovers before they entered the Games? If they have a secret and forbidden relationship, how would the course of the book change? What lengths will they go to for each other? R&R Peenis:
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! I have returned to the magical world of FanFiction after a very long time, hurrah? Anyway, this is my first fic in a while and it came to me randomly one day. I have no idea if anyone has used this premise before, if so I'm sorry, if not back off! No I'm just kidding :)

Basically I was wondering, what if Katniss and Peeta really were 'star-crossed lovers'? What if they had a secret relationship before the reaping that no one else knew about and if so, how would the storyline change and develop? I guess you could say it's extremely loosely based on Romeo and Juliet but to be quite honest I hate Romeo and Juliet, so it really isn't. Basically, it only involves the whole 'forbidden' love storyline.

If I continue there will be flashbacks to show the backstory to their relationship, so don't feel you've missed anything because all will be revealed…until then here's the first chapter, leave me a review if you'd like for me to continue, they are much appreciated, even the constructive criticism is welcome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Trust me I do not have the creative ability of coming up with theses characters and novels, but Suzanne Collins does, all hail SC :P Somethings in here are dialogue from the movie or books but I don't own that either!

Also please forgive any mistakes: un beta'd!

I'm a little unsure of how this turned out but errr enjoy!

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><p>I love these moments, they were the ones I never used to believe I could have, moments of pure content and bliss. I breathed in the rich scent of the woods deeply, smelling the pine, the flowers, the moss: everything. The hard chest I was leaning against breathed in the same rhythm I did, we were in sync, connected, like always. He squeezes my hands in his as they rest lightly on top of my stomach, his face nuzzles into my neck and places a feather light kiss just below my ear, I can't help but smiling.<p>

I sat cradled between Peeta's outstretched legs, his strong arms wrapped firmly around me as he slouches against one of the large tree trunks in the woods. My bow and quiver full of arrows were dropped haphazardly into the long grass next to us. It must be nearing midday; the sun is nearly central in the clear blue sky.

Moments like these occur very rarely but not for lack of wanting or trying, more for lack of opportunity. No, our meetings had to be kept secret, not one single living soul could know that we're friends let alone the true extent of our relationship. No one, except us. It was unheard of, a middle class boy and a girl from the Seam falling in love. It didn't happen, ever. Not that there were any strict ruled about it of course but it was silently forbidden. If Peeta's parents were to find out…I shudder to think of what kind of punishment his mother could impose on him and the Capitol… well, they should _never_ know what or who your weaknesses are.

It's true that I never thought I could be this: a girl who although unwillingly at first, trusts a boy with the one thing greater than her life, her heart. It didn't come easily, the trust that we now share for one another but now, if we didn't have it or each other we would feel broken and incomplete. If someone had told me seven months ago that I would fall in love with and trust _anyone_ I would have laughed in their face. Because that's the thing with me, I can't trust anyone. I saw what happened to my mother when my father died, I honestly believe the only reason she's alive now is because of Prim and I. But even then, she was alive but she was empty, as if her very essence had been stripped off her. I never wanted to feel that way, becoming a shell of who I once was because someone I love was taken away from me. So it was easier, to shut it out, my feelings, people and to swear to myself that I would never trust anybody again.

But that's the thing, I do now. I trust Peeta with every part of me: mind, body and soul just as he does with me. It happened, I don't know how and if someone asked me to explain, I literally couldn't. It was as unexplainable as it was irrational. But I don't regret any of it, not even the bad times where we could yell and scream at each other for hours on end out in the open woods where no one could hear us. We never apologized, we are both too stubborn but we can never stay mad for long. We are each other's weakness, we know it but no one else can.

"I love you," he whispers in my ear.

My eyelids flutter open and my mouth pulls up at the sides, just like it always does when he says those words. I turn my head to the side, his resting delicately on my shoulder and whisper back, "I love you more, Mellark," before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He chuckles at that, I feel the vibration stemming from his chest run through my body.

"I highly doubt that," he replies matter-of-factly.

I sit up and turn my head to glare at him, but his eyes shone with nothing but mirth. I suppressed the urge to smile back and instead elbowed him in the stomach, with just enough pressure to show him that I still didn't believe him. He heaved in a breath as it made contact. "Ow! Jeez remind me not to joke around with you again!" I just shrug my shoulders and settle back against him.

I look up at the sky now, midday definitely. Which meant one thing: two more hours until the reaping. Up until now I had been able to suppress the dread I felt for this horrendous and inhumane custom the Capitol inflicts upon us. It was a day where Peeta and I were both free from our regular commitments and could spend valuable time together. I felt sick all of a sudden, I was lucky enough to have evaded The Hunger Games for the past five years of my life and now that I was sixteen, I must have accumulated at least forty little, white slips with my name on them. That thought was pushed to the back of my mind as another more terrifying and nauseating one came to the forefront: Peeta. What if his name is called out? I know his name hasn't been in there as many times as mine but the odds, I've learned, are never in your favour at least not when you really need them to be.

The idea of Peeta, the boy with the bread, going into that deathtrap and not coming out causes bile to rise in my throat. I swallow it quickly and detach Peeta's hands from around my waist, hearing him protest in confusion. I stand swiftly then reach down and grab my quiver and bow from the ground, pulling the quiver onto my back before walking in quick strides away from the lake and back towards town. Back to reality. I hear Peeta following after me, calling my name, but I keep walking and don't glance back. It doesn't take him long to catch up with me though, his hands latch onto my slim arms and he turns me around so that we're face to face and I'm left to stare into those bright blue eyes I've grown to love so much. I can't escape them and I nearly cave in to my urge to cry and collapse in his arms but I don't. I square my jaw and tilt my head up to look at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

His dark eyebrows furrow in confusion as his eyes desperately search my face for any clue as to my sudden change in behavior. And then images of those very eyes lifeless and cold swirl in my mind and my lip quivers. I hate myself at that moment, my body betrayed me and his eyes widen in realisation. And then I'm wrapped tightly in his arms, he clutches onto me like his life depends on it, my arms hold onto the fabric of his powder blue t-shirt lightly. Peeta tells me that we'll be okay. That no matter what happens we'll get through it, he pulls back and cups my face in his hands,

"Do you understand? We're going to be fine, okay?" His tone is desperate, pleading with me to have faith. But he knows me, that's not who I am. I nod slowly to appease him and he kisses me deeply on the lips. This kiss isn't like the other's, but I can't make out what's different about it. After he pulls away, I remove his hands from my face and start to walk slowly away from him. I'm staring into his eyes as I do so, those beautiful eyes that not so long ago were full of happiness and love were now filled with sorrow and fear. He began to walk after me but I just shook my head at him, indicating he shouldn't follow. I mouthed that I loved him before turning and jogging away from him, ignoring his desperate pleas for me to stop. I forced the tears that were threatening to fall back and continued to run, back towards my house and further away from Peeta.

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><p>I step through the front door and kick off my boots, I trudge into the kitchen and see that Prim is already dressed in some of my mother's best clothes, even though they are a little big for her. The back of her white shirt keeps pulling out of her skirt and I pull her from her chair to stand in front of me. I crouch down to her height, looking into her deep blue eyes. I pushed a strand of blonde hair that had fallen into her eyes to the side and offered her a small smile before helping her tuck her shirt back into her skirt.<p>

"There, that's better little duck," I tease.

She giggles softly, "Quack." I smile at her before I see her smile drop and a hard line replace it. I reach my arms out and pull her small frame to me,

"It's your first year Prim, you're name's only been in there once, they're not gonna pick you."

I felt her nod softly against my shoulder and pull back to kiss her forehead. I stand up to go and have a bath; I wash all the grime and dirt off me and even wash my hair. I wrap a towel around me after I step out and walk to my room to find one of my mother's beautiful dresses from years ago laid out on the bed for me.

"After you change, I'll fix your hair for you," she says from my doorway. I nod and smile at her before she leaves me to change.

I sit down in front of her while she intricately twists my hair into my trademark braid, trying not to think of the reason I was all dressed up. I began to think of Peeta and the pained look in his eyes as he watched me leave but I pushed the thoughts away, I just couldn't deal with them right now. So instead I thought of Gale, I was also worried for my best friend because at eighteen he now probably has over sixty tickets with his name on them. I haven't seen him in a few days now, I suppose he's been busy with Hazelle but I do miss my hunting partner.

"There, all done." I smooth my hand over my hair and let out a deep sigh before standing up and walking into the kitchen to collect Prim. I give her a sad smile before taking her tiny hand in my small one and leading her out the door and into the square.

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><p>I give my sister one last hug before we are both wrenched away from each other and ushered into our respective age groups. I keep my eyes fixed on the stage in front of me never daring to look for Peeta. I see Gale though, we send each other mutual worried looks before our attention is grabbed by the always flamboyantly dressed Effie Trinket. She wears a ridiculous, pink, curly wig that gets pushed to one side or the other whenever she moves her head. A pink bonnet, adorned with flowers is placed precariously on her head and she wears a bright pink suit jacket and matching skirt. She looks ghastly, the people at the Capitol are quite well known for their abnormal life style and fashion. To us she looks awfully out of place and dreadful but I imagine that this is the latest fashion in the Capitol.<p>

I feel the nausea in my stomach as the Mayor Undersee starts to speak, I try my best to think of anything, anything but the reaping but I find it cannot distract me. This whole thing is just so wrong and perverse that I can't help but think about it. Mayor Undersee finishes speaking and Effie walks up to the microphone.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" She dips her perfectly manicured hand into the spherical bowl and pulls out a single white slip. I hold my breath and shut my eyes trying to force the situation away. I was begging whatever deity I didn't believe in for the odds to be in my favour, but like I said, I don't really believe in that stuff. The name that escapes her mouth has my eyes shooting open and my throat constricting, making it impossible for air to reach my lungs. I stand stock still in shock, unsure if my body is capable of movement.

It's Primrose Everdeen.

A/N: So? Did you like it, hate it? I'm a little rusty but if you'd like me to continue or just want to offer feedback reviews are most definitely welcome and appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: WOW! Thank-you all for those amazing reviews! I never expected that kind of reaction to this story :) You are all incredible and the support means so much! Please, keep them coming guys!

So this next chapter is longer and flashback-y at some points, whoo!

Anyway I won't keep talking, on with the show!

Note: Flashbacks are _italicized _and the timeline is a little different in this story, so I promise it's intentional and not a mistake. Also, please excuse my mistakes this story is unbeta'd currently but if anyone is interested, let me know!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, damn it :|

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><p>It's there again, that overwhelming, constricting feeling of nausea, dizziness.<p>

No, there must be some mistake. It has to be! Prim is one name in thousands, it's not possible! I'm sure I'm close to either hyperventilation or passing out but before my mind can comprehend what I'm doing I'm moving forward, pushing through the crowd, desperately trying to reach Prim. Just as I emerge from the mass of people I see my tiny sister, her shining blue eyes and elegantly braided hair. She looked…strong, walking down the aisle towards the stage but I knew it was just a façade. I knew she had resigned to what she believes is her fate but this isn't what her life is supposed to be like.

Prim shouldn't be made to slaughter innocent children all for the Capitol's sick idea of entertainment. Even if the odds are in her favour and she makes it out of that damn arena, she should not have to live with the scars that will be etched into her body…her mind. She's only twelve years old! I run after her, hundreds of shocked eyes trained on me but I don't care,

"Prim!" I scream out to her, she looks back at me with her eyes widened in shock and then terror but the Peacekeepers flanking her push her forwards again. Two other Peacekeepers are suddenly right in front of me, their arms hooking around mine attempting to pull me back but I struggle against their grips and the words escape my mouth without a second thought,

"No! I VOLUNTEER!" I hear the sharp intakes of breath, the gasps as all eyes lock onto my panting form. I push the two Peacekeepers off me easily thanks to their now dumbfounded state, "I volunteer as tribute!"

I hear my heart beating in my ears, it's deafening but at the same time, I've never heard silence like this before. It's broken by Effie's shrill voice,

"Lovely! Come up here, dear!" She beckons me forward and I robotically begin to walk towards the stage in a sort of daze. I'm broken from trance when I feel Prim's arms fling around my legs, latching on as if she could physically keep me from moving. She's screaming and crying, her tears soaking into the skirt of my dress. I try desperately to shove her off me, trying to detach her arms from my body but she's begging me now,

"No! No! Katniss, you can't! You can't go! Please!" And she just squeezes tighter.

"Prim, let go. Let me go, now!" I say rather harshly, my sister's shrieking had me on the brink of tears and that is the last thing I wanted. I didn't want the Capitol to see that I was scared, that I was vulnerable and weak. I was about to open my mouth to tell Prim to get off again but I don't have to. Gale is crouching down in front of Prim and myself, he pulls her away from me and up into his arms. She starts thrashing around wildly, her small fists beating on his chest but he ignores her. He forces a steady voice, "Up you go, Catnip."

I nod slightly at him, my steely resolve returning and as I walk up to the stage my sister's voice drowns out. It's like my mind is shutting it off, the emotion I feel towards my sister's screams and I can't help but feel that the first step to becoming a tribute has been completed: emotion? There must be zero of it to survive these games. That's what made them so horrific, in order to survive even one day your humanity has to be switched off, it must be non-existent.

I finally reach the stairs, climbing them robotically before making my way to center stage to stand next to none other than Ms. Trinket. How I hated her chipper voice at this moment.

"Bravo! That's the spirit we're looking for! Now what's your name dear?"

I swallow, "Katniss Everdeen," I reply holding onto my steady voice.

"And I suppose that was your sister Miss Everdeen? Didn't want her to steal all the glory?"

I don't reply because I'm sure at this point all that will come out of my mouth is insults and profanities. They weren't to see how affected I am by their Hunger Games. So I square my shoulders and stare out in front of me, looking at nothing in particular.

"Well, lets give our very first volunteer a round of applause."

Effie begins to clap on her own as every other person in the audience is deadly silent. Then I see a girl in the front row, no older than thirteen, raise three fingers to her lips and then extend her arm out in front of her, and then every person in the crowd follows all kissing three fingers and holding them out for me. I didn't expect this reaction at all, it was so unlike Twelve to be defiant and rebellious and yet here they were. Every single person in the crowd had three fingers extended to me, even the gamblers so now I was really close to tears.

"Well, on with the boy tribute now, shall we?" She is too excited about this. About the prospect of sending two children to their almost certain death. She walks over to the other spherical bowl, the one containing the names of potential boy tributes and sticks her hand in. My head drops down to the floor slightly, awaiting the inevitable name-calling. And then she's reading out the name in animated voice,

"Peeta Mellark!"

My head snaps up at the sound of his name and I pray that I heard wrong or that it was just a bad dream. My eyes are frantic now, and I should probably be more worried about revealing Peeta's and my secret but right now I'm beyond caring. Besides, every single person's face was now turned toward him, the boy with the bread; _my_ boy with the bread. My steal grey eyes immediately search for his only to find they're focused solely on mine. Internally, I look baffled, I don't show it as the façade of us being strangers is now firmly put back into place. He looks fearful but strangely more than that, he looks…relieved.

I suddenly feel the urge to vomit but I swallow the bile that's risen in my throat. I felt faint and right then I wanted nothing more than to scream at the universe and ask why it was doing this to me. It was inflicting the worst kind of pain on me and I didn't know how to cope with that

I was unprepared for what came next. The onslaught of emotions I suddenly feel are overwhelming. The most immediate one was guilt. During this whole time I hadn't thought of Peeta at all, not once. Maybe it was some form of self-preservation, maybe I couldn't bear the feelings of betrayal I would have when I stepped up to take my sister's place. In this moment I have no idea who I hate more: the Capitol or me. I was so consumed in myself that I didn't once wish or pray to any God that he wouldn't be chosen. To pray and hope the best part of me would stay safely in District 12 where no one could harm him.

Instead the boy who holds my heart and has since the first time we spoke is now walking towards me, as a tribute in the Hunger Games. Where we will be forced to fight to the death.

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><p><em>The rain was almost torrential, falling down in relentless icy sheets. My small, frail body was soaked to the bone. My father's old hunting jacket did nothing to keep the rain off me. My hair, free of its usual braid, stuck to my face and my sopping clothes clung to my body. My arms were full of old baby clothes that used to belong to Prim, I had unsuccessfully tried to sell them at the Hob. <em>

_The three of us had been living on nothing but boiled water and mint leaves for the past three days. As a result of my failure to provide food for my family, my sister was wasting away: her once sparkling blue eyes looked tired and desolate and she looked far too old as a result of her hollow cheeks. My mother remained in the same state she had for the past six months since my father's death and I was left, at fifteen years old, to take care of and provide for my family. And I had done nothing but fail so far. In that moment I had never felt more miserable or alone._

_I dropped the clothes I had been clutching to my chest into a puddle as the smell of freshly baked bread from the bakery wafted through the air. The scent was so intoxicating that my feet began walking towards the back alley of the bakery. I spied a couple of trashcans and decided to take my chances in the hopes of finding any food scraps. I opened the lids of each one only to quickly realise they were all empty. Before I had the chance to place lid back onto the last bin, the baker's wife came out the back door and started screaming at me to leave at once._

_She said something along the lines of, "I'm so sick of you Seam brats pawing through my rubbish! You should just starve to death, the lot of you!" She even went as far as to threaten me with the Peacekeepers finding out. I backed away from her then but I didn't get very far as I realized I had failed once again. I collapsed to my knees underneath a tree about thirty yards away from the bakery, I honestly intended to leave but my legs just couldn't seem to move. And then I did something I've rarely done at any stage in my life: I began to cry, my legs pulled up to my chest, arms wrapped fixedly around them and head resting atop my arms._

_I'm not sure how long I'd been sitting there when I heard the back door of the bakery crash open loudly. At first I thought it would be that woman to shoo me off again but when I heard her screeching voice yelling at someone else I lifted my head out from arms and looked in her direction. I recognized the boy in front of her, all I knew was that he attended my school in the same year level, but I didn't know his name. We were too different; I was from the Seam and he was of the merchant trade. Unlike me, I think he had quite a few friends, he was always wearing this boyish grin on his face and I think he was genuinely liked by his peers. That was all I knew of him after years of schooling together._

_He was of medium build, looked to be only a few inches taller than me but his body was more built than a lot of other boys our age, I assumed it was from all his years working in the bakery. He had dark blonde hair that fell in loose curls, some of them long enough to brush against his long, dark eye lashes. His straight nose, angular jaw and full lips only enhanced his already attractive features. There was no doubt in my mind that the boy was good looking. I wasn't blind, obviously and I knew that many of the girls at our school noticed as well. Currently, he was wearing a powder blue t-shirt that clung to his muscular torso snugly, grey chinos and a white apron wrapped around his hips._

_I presumed the vile woman standing in front of him was his horrid excuse for a mother. The only way I could come to this conclusion was their eyes, they were the exact same colour blue. Only the woman's were cold and vicious as she screamed and gesticulated vigorously. But his azure eyes, were warm, gentle, kind and currently strong in his defiance. Not once did they stray from hers, never backing down; challenging her. _

_For the first time, since my father's death, this boy who had curly, gold locks and shining blue eyes gave me hope. Something about his strong posture, tensed jaw and rebellious eyes made me want to fight for something again. What that was I wasn't quite sure of but it was there, somewhere in my heart, nagging at me to keep going; to have faith. I could make out what she was saying now, the rain had silenced most of her other words to me. _

_She was yelling, "Feed it to the pigs you stupid creature! No one decent would ever buy burned bread!"_

_At her words I finally looked to assess what was in the boys arms. He held two loaves of bread that were very slightly burnt on one end of each loaf. He said nothing in return and this only seemed to infuriate her more, I pulled in a sharp breath when her slap landed swiftly on his cheek and echoed throughout the alleyway. I could see the large bruise forming already, the area around it turning bright red but he didn't even lift his hand to his face just kept staring at her intensely. I realised disgustedly that he must be used to this, to the cruel words and strong blows dealt to his body. I shuddered at the thought of this boy getting beaten for something as small as accidentally burning bread._

_His mother disappeared inside the door at the sound of a customer ringing the bell and it slammed shut behind her. The boy exhaled in what looked to be relief before he turned his head back to the bakery door as if to check that no one was coming outside. It was then, that those warm blue eyes glanced at me and he began walking towards me out in the rain, his blonde curls straightening and sticking to his forehead much like mine. I began to panic and found that my mind was racing, why was he approaching me? Was he going to come shoo me off as well? What? I started to shrink back into the base of the tree the closer he came to me, my arms closing around my legs even tighter than before. Then, he was less than a foot away from me with the bread still held in his arms as he crouched down to my level, his cerulean eyes boring right into my grey ones from underneath long eyelashes. I found myself short of breath at the sight of how breathtakingly beautiful and kindhearted his eyes were._

_He gave me a small smile that evoked a strange feeling in my stomach before reaching out to grab my cold hand in his trying my best to ignore the tingling feeling that it evoked. I could do nothing but stare at him in shock with my mouth hanging open in confusion as he unfurled my tightly balled fist and placed one of the warm loafs of bread in it. He did the same to the other and it wasn't until he had stood up from his crouched position that I could actually comprehend what he had done. But I was so startled by this foreign gesture that I couldn't form any words in my head so I just continued staring at him guardedly. He gave me a tiny but melancholy sort of smile before he turned to walk away. He stopped suddenly, however, after only a few feet and turned back to me. He stood there for a few seconds seemingly warring with himself internally before he obviously decided to say what he wanted. It was hard to make out what he said with the rain being so deafening but I heard it nonetheless, _

"_I'm sorry, Katniss…about your dad." _

_I gasped at his knowledge of my name, thanking the heavy rain for causing its inaudibility to his ears. But it was the words that preceded my name that had me reeling in shock. He said them with such sincerity and kindness that my eyes flittered up to search his for any hint of fabrication. But they were filled with such a genuine look of anguish and sorrow that my eyebrows flew to my hairline in shock and confusion. He turned and hurriedly walked back towards the bakery in the pouring rain disappearing through the door only seconds later. _

_The confused look on my face remained there for a long time after he'd left. I couldn't understand it. Why did this boy who I barely knew selflessly burn bread and get beaten to save my life? Only that wasn't the part that shocked me the most, for the first time when someone gave me their condolences and apologies in regard to my father's death, I actually believed them._

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><p>I watch that very same boy as he climbs the steps leading to the stage before standing to the right of Effie. When she tells us to shake hands, we turn towards the other and take each other's right hand shaking it firmly to their eyes but reassuringly in ours. I was glad for the forced gesture, I need nothing more right now than to feel Peeta's comforting touch, his eyes so full of love and adoration that no one but I am the recipient of. For just a brief second we were alone again, in the woods wrapped in each other's arms where no one could harm us. For a split second we were free of worry and trepidation and were just <em>being<em>. I'm brought back to reality however when the anthem of Panem begins playing in the square.

As soon as the anthem is finished the two of us are ushered into the justice building by Effie and into separate rooms on opposite sides of a long corridor. My head whipped around to see the door being slammed shut by a Peacekeeper, only to see it open again as Prim sprinted towards me. I bent down to her level just in time to catch her as her tiny arms wrapped around my neck in a vice-like grip. I pull back to look at her, her cheeks are stained with the tears she had been shedding only moments ago, her eyes were puffy and her skin a blotchy red.

I stroke her face soothingly as I promise that I will try to win for her.

"Gale will bring you game and you can sell cheese from your goat, don't take the tesserae, it's not worth getting your name in more times. Do you understand?"

She nods at me again and I kiss her forehead delicately. I stand up and walk over to my mother who was standing quietly near the door and grab her shoulders tightly.

"Listen to me, are you listening?" My voice sounds as intense as I'm sure my eyes look. She nods slowly but surely, frightened by harsh tone I was using. I continued on,

"You can't zone out again, I won't be there."

"I won't," she replies timidly, her eyes straying from mine.

"No, you can't. No matter what you _feel_, you have to push it aside and _be there_ for her. Do you understand me?" My voice is rising now; I need her to understand how important this is. But then, strangely, she begins to cry and this is the first sign of emotion I have seen in her for a very long time. Right now, emotion is the last thing I need. I still don't trust my mother nor do I feel a great lot of affection for her but I hug her tightly to myself and steadily say,

"Don't cry, don't-"

And then a Peacekeeper is barging through the door hollering,

"Time's up!"

I let go of my mother quickly trying to get to Prim one last time but she is already being pulled out of the room kicking and screaming along with my mother by another Peacekeeper, I grab hold of her hand briefly before she's forced to let go and the only thing I can do is yell, "I promise Prim!" after the door has already been closed behind them.

My breathing is labored and my hands curl into fists as I try to ward off the various emotions that are beginning to overwhelm me. Surprisingly, the door opens again and my startled eyes reach Gale's as he rushes over to me and hugs me tightly, his arms squeezing tightly around my waist as mine lay atop his shoulders.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I am." I insist shakily.

"I know," he replies but his voice is unsteady like mine. He lets go of me and places his hands on my shoulders, "Listen, you need to get your hands on a bow, if they don't have one make one, it's your best shot Katniss. You know how to hunt, you're the best hunter I know."

"Yeah, animals." I shake my head at him doubtfully, "Gale I-, I can't kill _humans._"

He exhales then, his grey eyes searching mine as if unsure of whether he should say what he wants to, "It's no different Katniss." His grey eyes, so similar to mine, are searching my face desperately. We're interrupted by a Peacekeeper indicating our time is up. I hug him again tightly and my panicky voice pleads,

"Please Gale, don't let them starve!"

"I won't, I promise!"

They're pulling him away from me now and I just wish I had more time, especially since this could be the last time I ever see my best friend.

"Katniss, remember I-" But the Peacekeeper has pulled him out the door and slammed it shut behind him. I have no idea what he wanted me to remember and I back pedal and slump down into a plush, velvet armchair. For the first time I actually notice the room in which I'm standing. It's the most luxurious room I've ever seen in my life. The table in the center is made of mahogany, the couches and armchairs are all velvet with gold trimmings, the various paintings that adorn the walls look expensive to say the least and I've never felt so out of place.

When the door opens once again, I am extremely astounded to see Madge Undersee walk in with a sense of urgency so unlike her usual character. I rise from the chair and she stops in front of me, looking up at me seemingly desperately. She skips all formal niceties and gets to the point, knowing that she didn't have much time. She unfurls her closed fist and reveals the gold Mockingjay pin I've seen her wear only a handful of times.

"They let you wear one thing from your district in the arena. One thing to remind you of home. Will you wear this?" She asks, holding it up for my inspection.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. I have no idea why this means so much to her so I ask lamely, "Your pin? Why?"

She explains rather quickly, "The Mockingjay was created by accident Katniss. It was something the Capitol didn't plan for nor want to happen. It became a symbol of rebellion years ago, I'm not really sure why. All I know is that the rebels, the ones brave enough to stand up to the Capitol, would display the symbol everywhere as a sign of hope and uprising."

I never knew any part of this tale, I made a mental note to ask someone, maybe my mentor why the Mockingjay became the symbol of rebellion. And so I nodded at Madge and promised to wear it in the arena. She visibly sighed in relief and said, "Here I'll put it on your dress, all right?" She raises on her tip toes slightly and fixes the beautiful ornament to my dress. She kisses me quickly on the cheek and wishes me good luck before walking out the door just as it's opened by a Peacekeeper.

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><p>Peeta, Effie and I arrive at the train station that is currently laden with Capitol photographers and television crew. Effie stands and even poses for some of the cameramen whilst Peeta and I shoot each other annoyed looks at her strange antics as we stand at least a meter from each other. Once she is satisfied with he amount of coverage 'we've' received she hurries us onto the train.<p>

I look over to Peeta standing next to me and my suspicions are confirmed, he is having the exact same reaction as me. Our eyes are wide, trying to take in the lavish compartment of the train and our jaws are dropped to the floor. The room in the Justice Building held nothing on this. Of course, Effie just breezes passed us as we stand stock still in the doorway, she's used to this kind of luxury after all. The train lurches into motion then, beginning our long journey to the Capitol.

The large compartment is full of comfortable looking couches and chairs all powder blue in fabric, at the far end of the cart there is a small bar with crystal tumblers and bottles on a silver tray. A television's mounted on each wall bar the back one but what grabbed both of our attention the most was the table in the middle of the room. I can barely see one patch of the brown wood anywhere on it as trays upon trays of various foods cover the surface. I have never seen so much food in my life, not even in the Hob. I turn to my left to gauge Peeta's reaction again but found he was still staring at the table piled with to us, what seemed to be manna.

I learned from Peeta not long after we first met that, to my surprise, even though his family owned the bakery he only received a little more food than I. He also said with a laugh free of humor that is it were up to his mother he would probably receive no food at all, thank god for his father.

We are snapped out of our mutual reverie and my odd musings when Effie informs us she is going to find our mentor Haymitch Abernathy and to make ourselves comfortable, waving to one of the many sofas in the room.

As soon as she was out of the compartment, I flicked Peeta's hand and his head whipped around to look at me, his eyebrows raised in question and slight annoyance. I smile a little at that, before jerking my head in the direction of the bathroom that the signs told us was in the next compartment over. He nodded at me before trailing after me into the compartment and then through the bathroom door.

Peeta shuts the door behind him and I walk over to the basins, turning on both taps so the water starts gushing out noisily. I then go over to the hand dryer, turning that on as well. I turn back to face Peeta who is leaning against the door casually with his arms crossed over his chest but wearing a confused look on his face. I flickered my eyes between him and the camera in the corner of the room rapidly and he soon caught on. The level of noise in the small room satisfied me and although they could still see us, we couldn't be heard which was the most important part.

I walked towards him then, stopping only a foot from him and he was no longer leaning casually against the door. His whole body was tense and his cobalt eyes were locked on mine anxiously.

"What is it? What's up?" He asked, trepidation lacing his tone. I keep my hands clasped firmly behind my back afraid I could accidentally give us away by caving to my instinct of stroking his face and telling him to relax. Instead I do only the latter and it worked, he seems to relax a little after I gave him a small smile also. There are so many things I want to say to him right now: I love you, I'm sorry, are you all right? But I can't, now was definitely not the time or place. Most of all, I just want to hold him, feel his strong arms wrapped around me, telling me it was going to be okay, that we'd both get out of this alive. But we can't and even if we could I'm not sure the words would be the truth and the thought almost brings tears to my eyes.

I remember the reason for which I brought him here, "We have to continue as we have been." I whisper, thankful he was close enough to hear me over the incessant noise of the taps and hand dryer. "They can't know. Peeta-, If-, if they did know…" I trail off unable to voice what I'm sure we both already know. It was simple: if they knew about the two of us they would do their very best to tear us apart, in any way possible which is why the façade of cool apathy had to be instilled at all times.

He nods solemnly at me, understanding but misery present in his eyes. I whimper as tears threaten to spill, the weight of the day finally seeping into my skin. His eyes flick over to me then from where they were previously looking over my shoulder and the anguish in his eyes in clear. I know exactly how he feels; we had never been so close yet so far away from each other than at this very moment.

"I'm sorry," he whispers and again I'm brought back to him saying those exact words the fist time I met him, his eyes filled with the exact same sorrow and heartache. We stared into the other's eyes, each brimming with tears and on the verge of them spilling out. Peeta did the only thing he really could and offered his hand to mine, I take hold of his large hand in my smaller one and he squeezes my hand reassuringly. To the cameras this would look like nothing than a friendly handshake but to me, it gave me all the love, reassurance and encouragement I needed to force the tears away.

We let go of each other's hand and I turn around to switch off the hand dryer and taps. Peeta holds the door open for me and I smile slightly at him before exiting the room. We both walk back into the lavish compartment we were originally in.

We sit next to each other on one of the blue couches, our backs stiff and hands held in our laps, not at all comfortable with our surroundings or our current situation. Peeta and I wait in silence for Effie to return and when she finally does she has in her tow one very drunk and disgruntled Haymitch Abernathy. I watch Peeta out of the corner of my eye and see his grimace at the man, who can barely stand, in front of us. The man that is supposed to be our mentor, the man who is supposed to increase our chances of surviving not dying.

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><p>A.N: Not much KatnissPeeta (Peeniss) in this chapter, sorry guys! But don't worry, there's plenty more to come.

Anyway, let me know what you think, you're reviews are incredibly inspiring :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'M SO SORRY! I'm terrible I know and I definitely haven't given up on this story! I've had exams and I've just been really busy!

Thank-you for all those incredible reviews guys, sixty-eight in just two chapters! I'm sorry I didn't get to respond to a lot of them but I promise I read each and everyone one and they always make me smile and want to get back to writing the next chapter.

Just a side note: check out my baby Julia's (thehuntedhunter) story for some cute Peeniss fluff, it's awesome

Disclaimer: Don't own nuttin'.

Also please excuse my mistakes: still un-beta'd.

Anyway, I won't make you wait any longer…

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><p><em>I watched him from across the yard at school: it was lunch and he was being horded by a group of people, both girls and boys who I assumed were his friends. They all were hovering around a small wrought iron table, which only seated four people, the rest of the gang either standing or sitting around the four in the middle, all their backs to each other so as to properly face the people in front of them. Peeta sat on one of those seats; his back against the rim of the table while one of his legs was pulled up to his chest, arm resting lightly on top of it whilst the other sat limply on the ground. He was speaking animatedly to a girl in front of him, I had no idea what her name was or even what year level she was in, his hands gesticulating wildly as he tried to get his point across to her.<em>

_The boyish grin that always seemed to be on his face instantly faltered when the girl, with a wrinkled brow, reached her hand out and softly touched the nasty purple bruise that took up basically his whole right cheek. The next words out of her mouth must have been something along the lines of 'what happened?' because I saw him hesitate a little before he ran a hand through his messy blonde locks and answered her lightly. Well, that's what it looked like he did because soon she was giggling, a hand over her mouth to try and lessen the sound. I scoffed at that, she sounded ridiculous, honestly. _

_The girl, after finally bringing her fabricated giggling fit to an end, opened her mouth as if to say something but before she could the bell trilled loudly throughout the yard. The girl with the raven locks pursed her lips in what looked to be disappointment before swiftly bending down to Peeta's level to place a kiss on his cheek. My eyebrows furrowed at that and I didn't know why. For all I knew she could be his girlfriend and she had every right to do that, so I shook my head and stood up from my spot on the dying grass._

_He smiled warmly at her before she walked away with a dumb smile on her face towards the locker corridor. I rolled my eyes, scoffing slightly, I don't think I'd ever be able to understand these girls; they were just so different to me. I also began to walk towards the corridor, taking the long route across they yard so as to avoid Peeta. I didn't want him to even glance at me, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of him seeing me after what he did for me yesterday. And said to me. Yet there was this feeling in my gut that was nagging at me, I wasn't sure what to do about it. I didn't like owing people, as a result I usually stayed out of everyone's debt, only doing things myself and seldom seeking anyone else's help, except maybe Gale. But now I felt I owed this boy something, I don't know what, a 'thank-you' maybe? _

_Problem was, I had no idea how to formulate that into a sentence let alone snag him when he is alone so that his reputation wouldn't be damaged. I never really was good with words, I was always more of an 'action' person, my father told me that it was okay though, because 'sometimes actions speak louder than words'. Still, sometimes I wish I were better at those sorts of things like my father was and Prim is. _

_I groaned mentally as I had an internal debate with myself: get it over with and never have to speak to him again or let this stupid, nagging feeling weigh me down until I buckled under my own cowardice. I sighed as I crossed the corridor's threshold, deciding that I would just get it over and done with today so that the feeling would disappear. Now I just had to try and find the right opportunity to get him alone, a difficult feat seeing as though he always seemed to be with at least one of his merchant class friends._

_The corridor was flooded with teenagers, all knocking into each other in their haste to get home, I hung back at my locker waiting for most of them to file out before I started searching for the location of Peeta's locker, hoping that he'd still be there. I caught sight of the back of his blonde head and cleared my throat nervously; I still had no idea what I was going to say to him. Thankfully the corridor was practically empty by now, apart from Peeta, myself and one of the guys I recognized from his lunch table. I heard the boy chuckle at something Peeta said before clapping him on the arm and telling him he'd see him tomorrow. I heard the door shut with a loud click that echoed through the now deserted hall and started rubbing my hands together in a nervous gesture._

_I was warring with myself, who was I kidding I don't know what to say to him and the idea of simply walking out the door was suddenly looking like a great option. I groaned internally, I couldn't chicken out; I had to do this, now or never. I shuffled over to were he was shoving books into his bag, seemingly lost in thought as he didn't even notice me approach him, not that anyone usually did. From up close I could truly see just how awful the bruise on his cheek was, a rush of guilt swarmed through my insides making me feel a little sick._

_Once I was about two feet from him I cleared my throat and his head snapped towards me, his eyebrows nearly touching his forehead and his mouth agape in shock. In all the commotion he must have let go of the books that were teetering on the edge of the locker and they crashed to the floor with a loud thud._

_I stared wide-eyed at them momentarily before my eyes flittered up to his face, noticing the small blush that had arisen on his cheeks. He bent down to the floor quickly and gathered to the various books together before lifting them back into his locker and turning to face me again. _

_He cleared his throat, "Hey."_

_I showed the barest hint of a smile at his embarrassment, "Hi." We stood there for a few seconds, both of us not knowing what to say, when I remembered what I came here to do. I glanced down at the floor, twisting my hands around each other nervously and spoke in a voice just barely above a whisper, _

"_Look, um Peeta, I just…I just wanted to say-" but I was cut off by the sound of his voice._

"_Don't worry about it, you don't have to say anything; it was nothing," he said with a shrug of his broad shoulders._

_My eyes nearly bulged out of my head at that._

"_Nothing?" I choked out. He just nodded his head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to why I reacted so harshly to his statement._

"_Peeta, your left cheek is dark purple, you got yourself beaten to give some girl from the Seam bread. For the first time in months my family has had something decent to eat, my sister smiled this morning! That is not nothing, that's…" I tried to search for the right word, "everything."_

_His eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing, like he didn't know what to say, so I took the opportunity to continue,_

"_Look, what you did…I just wanted to say, thank-you." I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding at finally doing what I had been meaning to._

_He shot me a smile so full of warmth and kindness that it made me avert my eyes so that I looked past his shoulder. My eyes are brought back to his when he whispers my name softly and says quietly, "You're welcome." _

_And for the first time, in as long as I can remember, I smile. Really smile._

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><p>"Peeta, Katniss, meet Haymitch Abernathy, your…" Effie's eyes roamed over the man disapprovingly, "mentor," she finished flatly.<p>

Haymitch waltzed drunkenly over to the small table holding crystalline bottles of alcohol; grabbed one and foregoing a glass took a long swig from the bottle. He then swaggered drunkenly to a blue couch opposite us before continuing to drink out of the godforsaken bottle.

Peeta eyed me curiously, one of his eyebrows raised slightly higher than the other and I just shrugged slightly, going back to staring at the man. It's then when Peeta clears his throat and leans forward with his elbows on his knees and chin placed on top of his hands.

"So, what's the plan?" he asks expectantly.

Haymitch's eyebrows shot up in astonishment before he started to double over in laughter.

I frowned, "HEY!" That seemed to have caught his attention because now he was staring intently at me.

"You're supposed to be our mentor, you're supposed to keep us alive," I snapped haughtily, feeling my frustration escalating with each passing second. Out of the corner of my eye I see Peeta's hand twitch and I know he's resisting the urge to comfort me, the fact that he can't only infuriates me more.

"Listen, sweetheart," he started, my eyes hardened at the pet name but he continued, "you want to know what the plan is? Stay alive. There, no more advice, there isn't anything else to tell you, that's it."

I glared at him before I stood abruptly from the sofa and stalked off into another carriage, ignoring Effie who tried to call me back because dinner had been served. I entered the bathroom from earlier and slammed the door shut, clicking the lock and sliding down on to the floor with my legs pulled tightly to my chest.

I had never felt this kind of anger before, not even when my father died and my mother could do nothing but sit in a chair all day as she let the darkness consume her; leaving me to become the mother to my twelve-year-old sister. How was I supposed to keep my promise of getting back to Prim if this drunken man could do nothing but tell me to stay alive? The blinding rage overtook me and I slammed my elbow backwards into the door, sending a crack through the entire thing. I didn't even do so much as whimper at the pain.

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><p>I must've sat in that bathroom for hours because by the time I finally opened the door everything was dark, nobody was around, so I assumed everyone had gone to bed. I felt guilty as hell for ignoring Peeta's pleading voice through the door but it had to be done, I didn't want anyone to suspect anything.<p>

I tiptoed out of the bathroom and tried to walk towards the area of the bedrooms as quietly as possible when my stomach growled hungrily. I clutched a hand to it and continued down to the door Effie had shown me before, placing a hand on the doorknob. I stopped turning the handle when I caught a glimpse of the door next to mine, the one that lead into Peeta's bedroom, I contemplated whether or not I should go to him for a Nano-second before my brain dismissed the idea completely. I leaned my forehead against my door and took in deep breaths slowly, I then pushed open the door and collapsed onto the ridiculously sized bed in the middle of the room.

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><p>Exiting my room the next morning, I already hear the voices coming from the dining room, I walk slowly, curiously, towards the entrance of the room. Seeing Peeta and Haymitch conversing in a civilized fashion about the games and the need of sponsors dumbfounds me a little. Just last night the only advice he had to offer was to "stay alive" and now here they were discussing matters such as sponsors? I walk into the room, making my presence known and Peeta smiles up at me while Haymitch continues to wolf down his food. I roll my eyes in annoyance at his pigheadedness. I pull out a chair and sit quietly, waiting for someone to say something or for them to just continue with their conversation but no one does.<p>

"So…what were you guys talking about?" I asked cautiously.

"Haymitch was just telling me how to get sponsors," Peeta replies lightly.

I pick off a grape on the platter in front of me, "Oh. How do you get sponsors?"

Haymitch drops his cutlery to his plate with a clatter before turning to me, "Well to get sponsors you have to get people to like you, which in your case couldn't hurt now, sweetheart," he patronized.

I glared at him for a second before I noticed Peeta stand and race to the window, bringing my attention to the ginormous structures I could see in the distance.

"Look, there it is," Peeta spoke in awe. His eyes were wide and child like, I would have smiled if the circumstances were different.

As we pulled into the station, he started waving to the jostling crowd of people that were clearly waiting my arrival. The fact that they were excited about the prospect of the games sent a wave of nausea coursing through me. I'm snapped out of my reverie by Haymitch's brusque voice,

"See? He knows what he's doing."

Effie's shrill and excited voice made all three of us turn our heads to where she was standing by the carriage door. She spoke as if she could barely contain her excitement, swallowing heavily with her grin nearly splitting her face in two,

"Welcome, to the Capitol."

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><p>Author's Note:<p>

And after this is where things start to get CRAZY. I think I shall have some nice fluff in the next chapter :)

I'm going to do shorter chapters of about this length but with more regular updates, if that's okay.

I hope you guys are still interested in this story, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update :( Please leave me a review guys and let me know what you think, they help motivate me so much :) Also if any of you guys have tumblr and are interested in maybe following me let me know!

Kiara 3


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